Costs of ozone pollution

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Last modified 23 May 2014, 12:00 PM

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Ozone exposure is
thought to cause the premature deaths of up to 20 000 people within the
EU each year. Furthermore, it is responsible for the increased use of
medicine for respiratory conditions, corresponding to 30 million
additional medication-use days a year.

It is impossible to determine the true costs of ozone pollution to
Europe's population and economy. However, an EU estimate for the year
2000 puts the cost of health damage at EUR 11.9 billion and the cost of
crop damage at EUR 2.8 billion.

The Mediterranean countries face the highest health costs. However,
ozone pollution can occur and be transported by the wind throughout
Europe.

The summer of 2003 was especially bad for ozone pollution. The
long-term ozone exposure could have been as important a cause of poor
crop yields in southern Europe as high temperatures and drought
conditions.

The European Commission estimates that the action of the Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution, which covers a
range of air pollutants including ozone, will deliver health benefits
worth at least EUR 42 billion per year – more than five times the cost
of implementing the strategy.